Two White Sands Missle Range soldiers killed in Afghanistan explosion

Two White Sands Missile Range soldiers were killed in an explosion on Friday in Afghanistan.

Spc. Kenneth C. Alvarez, 23, and Pvt. Jonathon M. Hostetter, 20, were killed in the Ghazni Province in a bomb attack. They were both combat engineers with the 40th Mobility Augmentation Company, 2nd Engineer Battalion.

"This is yet another sad day for Team WSMR as we've lost two teammates from among our ranks," said Commander of White Sands Missile Range, Brig. Gen. Gwen Bingham in a news release. "Our brave men and women are risking their lives daily in the fulfillment of their mission. Spc. Kenneth Alvarez and PV2 Jonathan Hostetter paid the supreme sacrifice with their lives. We will never forget them and their families and what they stood for as they dedicated themselves to a life of selfless service and commitment to our Nation."

Hostetter is from Humphreys, Mo. and he had a wife. He joined the Army in September 2012 and was deployed to Afghanistan in April. This was his first deployment.

Alvarez was from Santa Maria, Calif. and had been in the Army since November 2011. When Alavarez was assigned to White Sands, he requested to join the 40th Mobility Augmentation Company in Afghanistan, a news release said.